Stephen L. Johnson

Stephen L. Johnson was nominated March 4, 2005, by President George W. Bush to be Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2010, Johnson joined the board of directors of Scotts Miracle-Gro Co.

According to the White House news release announcing his nomination: "Mr. Johnson currently serves as Acting Administrator of the EPA. Prior to becoming the Acting Administrator, he served as the Deputy Administrator.

"Mr. Johnson has been a part of the EPA for 24 years. He was Assistant Administrator of the Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances. He also served as Deputy Director of the Office of Pesticide Programs. Prior to joining EPA, Mr. Johnson served as Deputy of Operations at Hazelton Laboratories Corporation and Litton Bionetics, Inc.

"In 2001, Mr. Johnson received the Presidential Rank Award, which is the highest award that can be given to a civilian federal employee. He received his bachelor's degree from Taylor University and his master's degree from The George Washington University." 

Johnson, who has a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's degree in pathology, is the first scientist to head the EPA. He replaced Christine Todd Whitman, who resigned, saying the EPA's scientific mission was being compromised by political pressures from the Bush Administration.

Shelving EPA's own findings about greenhouse emissions
On March 27, 2008, Johnson dismissed findings by his own agency that greenhouse gases threaten the public and announced that he would initiate a lengthy public comment period about whether greenhouse gases pose a risk before responding to a U.S. Supreme Court order requiring EPA impose regulations on polluters. The move effectively delayed any federal action to limit greenhouse gas emissions until well past the end of George W. Bush's final term in office. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, Johnson's strategy of prolonged evaluation "mirrors that advocated by a coalition of industry groups and conservative think tanks, including the Heritage Foundation." A Sierra Club attorney called the delaying tactic "outrageous," and Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) said the Bush administration was "recklessly abandoning its responsibility to address the global warming crisis." An EPA spokesman, however, called the move "an historic moment" because "no administration has taken this step to evaluate this new pollutant."

SourceWatch Resources

 * Bush administration